Friday, August 10, 2007
Food

Sweet Spot

Dining at Chocolate Bar a decadent indulgence

A signature chocolate martini paired with truffles prepared in-house CREDIT: Spark St. Jude

Dining Essentials The Chocolate Bar 201 West Ponce De Leon Ave., Ste. C Decatur, 404-378-0630 www.thechocolatebardecatur.com Neighborhood: Decatur Square Hours: Dinner Tues.–Thurs., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri.–Sat. 5:30 p.m.–midnight; Sun. 5:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Reservations: N/A Dress Code: casual Alcohol: wine, liquor, specialty cocktails, beer Cost: $1.50–$13

By Suzanne Wright

If Midtown’s Chocolate Pink and Inman Park’s Krog Bar had a love child, it would be Decatur’s Chocolate Bar.

My pal Barbara recommended it for a light repast following a recent girl’s afternoon pedicure. Recently opened on Ponce de Leon next to Ted’s Montana Grill, the vibe is Euro elegant, yet the service is pure Southern hospitality, a hybrid that makes sense for the established but constantly evolving neighborhood. Owner and former nurse Karen Britain worked with chefs Aaron Russell and Nick Rutherford, who boast impressive pedigrees from Seeger’s and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton and Quinones at Bacchanalia, respectively, to bring an air of sweetness to Decatur.

We dined on a Wednesday night; the bonus was live classical music from guitarist Edward Weir. The deep pumpkin walls, high ceilings and simple dark wood tables and chairs are understated. Need to lift your serotonin levels? There’s a handsome bar where you can dine solo. Need a hostess gift? Check out the packaged cookies. The focal point of the room is the glass case filled with handmade chocolates.

We started with cava, sparkling Spanish wine, and then moved onto a staffer’s recommendation: the chewy, mouth-filling Windmill Zinfandel ($10 by the glass), a perfect foil for chocolate. In short order, we polished off a bowl of marinated olives, a nice assortment of black and green briny beauties, and a selection of three cheeses: Sweet Grass Dairy fresh goat; Fourm D’ Ambert, a refined bleu; and Carr Valley Mobay, an award-winning layered sheep-and-goat fromage separated by grape vine ash. Barbara’s a vegetarian, but I added silky, flavorful finnochiona (pork salami flavored with fennel seeds). For dessert, we shared the divine strawberry-rhubarb tart with orange blossom sorbet and pickled strawberries. Again, our waistbands prevented us from sampling the watermelon soup and pot de crème.

In a single visit, we couldn’t begin to work our way through the tempting array of housemade truffles (Chocolate Bar also carries a few from Atlanta’s own Maison Robert and Michel Cluizel). Creative, exotic infusions include rosemary, basil, chamomile, honey, ginseng and cognac. The passion fruit bonbon encased in white chocolate was lively, the pecan praline with Georgia pecans and dark caramel was divine, and the hibiscus bonbon was delicately floral. At $1.50 each, you can splurge without breaking any banks. The Chocolat Therapie collection from K Chocolat includes such titillating combinations as the Lotus Sutra with yerba mate, lemon, ginger and cardamom in ganache, Caribe Delight with rum and coconut, and Field of Joy with pink peppercorns and rose water. Regular visits to Chocolate Bar will indeed satisfy my cravings for rich treats, even if I have to indulge in moderation. SP